{
  "id": "RL31579",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31579",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 347309,
      "date": "2009-04-07",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T02:36:06.414359",
      "title": "U.S. Foreign Trade in Services: Definition, Patterns and Policy Challenges",
      "summary": "The term \u201cservices\u201d refers to a broad and widening range of economic activities such as accounting and legal services, banking, transportation, tourism, and telecommunications. Services are a significant sector of the U.S. economy, accounting for almost 70% of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) and for over 80% of U.S. civilian employment.\nServices have become an important element of U.S. foreign trade, consistently generating surpluses. The European Union is by far the most important U.S. trade partner in services, accounting for more than 50% of U.S. trade in services.\nThe increasing importance of services in domestic and global trade have placed them on the U.S. agenda for bilateral and regional trade agreements, and services trade occupies a prominent place on the agenda of the United States and the other 152 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the Doha Development Agenda round of multilateral negotiations. Furthermore, disputes related to trade in services have arisen increasingly between the United States and the European Union, Japan, Canada, and other major trading partners.\nCongress will have a number of trade agreements to consider, and services will be an important part of the deliberations. An overview of barriers, of the disputes in services trade and of the rapidly changing characteristics of the services sector, suggest that the negotiations and the agreements they produce will become increasingly complex.\nThe United States presses its trading partners to liberalize their services sector as much as possible, because U.S. services providers are very competitive in world markets. However, to accomplish its objectives, the United States is pressed by its partners to make concessions that might adversely affect \u201cimport-sensitive\u201d industries in the United States. U.S. negotiators and, ultimately, Congress will have to judge whether the agreements strike an appropriate balance for U.S. interests. This report will be updated as events warrant.",
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      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc700867/",
      "id": "RL31579_2008Jul07",
      "date": "2008-07-07",
      "retrieved": "2015-08-27T16:20:31",
      "title": "U.S. Foreign Trade in Services: Definition, Patterns and Policy Challenges",
      "summary": "This report provides background information and analysis on U.S. foreign trade in services. It includes an examination of definitions and examples of services to indicate their nature and scope; a review of the importance of services to the U.S. economy including U.S. foreign trade; and an analysis of the policy challenges that confront the United States, especially the challenge of negotiating a set of international rules on trade in services and the challenge of resolving disputes over trade in services with trading partners.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
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      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Trade",
          "name": "Trade"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Tariff agreements",
          "name": "Tariff agreements"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Economic policy",
          "name": "Economic policy"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Trade regulation",
          "name": "Trade regulation"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc808946/",
      "id": "RL31579_2006Dec05",
      "date": "2006-12-05",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "U.S. Foreign Trade in Services: Definition, Patterns and Policy Challenges",
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      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc806161/",
      "id": "RL31579_2004Dec22",
      "date": "2004-12-22",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "U.S. Foreign Trade in Services: Definition, Patterns and Policy Challenges",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "Industry and Trade"
  ]
}